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03 November 2009

Update: Believe it or not, our little girl's name has been chosen! I had no idea this little exercise would actually work, but we have a name that we ADORE and it's in part thanks to your help!

Give us a bit as we honeymoon with the name before we post it for the world to see. We're enjoying calling our daughter by name and also enjoying those last bits of time before we actually pull the trigger and commit for a lifetime!

We are planning to share, don't worry. Probably even this afternoon.

Thanks SO much for your help!

Original Post:

Morning!

Okay girls (and guys!), in a concerted effort to name this precious daughter of ours, we are now - for the next 24 hours - inviting all name suggestions from my dear blog readers!

It's not a contest or anything like that - just a good, old-fashioned brainstorming session!

A little guidance:

We would be especially delighted to find a name containing a "v" like her big brother and sister. This is NOT a must at all, just something we've considered.

We love old, porch-sitter-type names that have been around for a while - again, NOT a must.

We also want to avoid names that are too common/popular if possible.

We love names with good meanings. (Oliver William means "peaceful conqueror" and Evie Grace means "life of grace"). Just another consideration :)

If everyone that stops by today leaves at least 3 name suggestions before they go, that will give me a good number of names to consider. The more the better! All suggestions are welcome! So please, I'm begging you, bring on the names!!

134
comments:

Well...I have a Margaret Lauren whom we call Maggie. I've always loved it.My second favorite name was one I gave to my niece for my little great niece. It's Annabelle Elizabeth. I also love Emmeline or Emmalyn, Olivia (although since you have an Oliver that might me odd), Ella, Charlotte, Sadie.Those are a few that I adore. Hope you find one that YOU adore. :) Congratulations!

So... the only "porch-sitter" girl name with a V that I could come up with was Violet or Viola.

I too love old names - my daughters are Sadie Ann (princess / graceful) and Lucy Mae (brilliant / bitter - not fan of the 2nd meaning but its after her great, great grandmother). Its amazing how their names describe them - Sadie is a princess (oh my is she ever!) and Lucy just lights up a room in a matter of minutes. I love all the old names like Jane, Beth, Dorothy, Emma, Olivia, etc...

This is a good resource for looking for older nameshttp://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ Just type in the year and how many top names you want to see and you get a good array of names.

Hmmm...well, I am also trying to come up a name for our babe due in March. We are pretty sure it is a boy (were told at 12 week u/s but he would not open his legs to give us confirmation at the "big" u/s!!)

I thought of two names for you right away...Ava and Olivia. I think Olivia is probably too close to Oliver but I like it a lot! Not sure what either of them mean!

My other two babies are "K" names so we are in need of a boy K name for #3! Would take any suggestions from you all as well...we can't come up w/ anything we like!

So excited for you all! can't wait to hear what you pick out for her---will you be announcing it on your blog when you decide?

Well, I don't have "V" names, but my daughter is Alayna Mae. Alayna means "little rock, harmony and peace". Alayna was used to combine her paternal Gmas name (Alice) and my and my Mom's middle name (Elaine) and Mae was my Granny's middle name and she was born 2 days before my Granny's bday! If I ever have another girl, her name will be Amanda/Ava Christine. Daddy's name is Adam and Amanda was as close as I could get to his name, I just love the name Ava! We kinda have this whole starts with an "A" ends with an "A" thing going on! Even my neice who is 4 mos younger than our daughter is named Alyssa!!!:) OK, I'm done...for now...:)

Funny to see my name (Virginia) on the list twice-good meaning for a little girl. I don't, however, love going by a nickname and vowed I would never do it to my child! I love the name Jane for a middle name. Someone said Norah, and I think that is beautiful. I know you will find the perfect name. Keep thinking, and I will let you know if I think of something. Still loving Ruby, although it has a much different connotation to me than some of the others. Another name with a 'V' is Sylvia-I don't think I saw that yet, and what a pretty name! Talk to you soon, friend!

What about Victoria? I like Victoria Hope and Victoria Faith. I looked up the meaning of Victoria & it said "Early Christians adopted the name, probably due to Saint Paul's praise of "God, which giveth us the victory". Kinda cool!

Just had to include my current fav girls' name, even though it doesn't have a V...Amelie! (Pronounced like Emily, but with an AH at the beginning) Kind of reminds me of Evie's name...And I love Frances, Clara, Ruby (our glory baby is Ruby Anne), Cora, Julia as other "porch-sitter" names, maybe middle name possibilities??

My husband and I are adopting a sibling group so we just had to brainstorm a slew of names, we need 2 boys names and 2 girls names since we don't know what we will get. That's a lot of names. And we love old names

I am going to suggest, Liv which has not been in the top 1000 names in the U.S. in the past 9 years, it's derived from words that mean protection and life. I'm also going to suggest Ivy, the highest it has been on the SSA list in the past 9 years is number 298, and I also like Britta, which doesn't contain a V but has not been in the top 1000 names in the past 9 years either.

Our newest daughter is Ruth Leah. I also love Esther, but haven't been able to sell my hubby on it..maybe for the next one! Our other daughter is Grace Elizabeth. We love the less common biblical names, though it wasnt until after Grace was born that we realized just how popular it was becoming! :) Some "v" names: Genevieve, Sylvie, Sylvia, Avril.

I haven't stopped by & read lately, so imagine my surprise when I got here to see your wonderful news. Congratulations!!

Your due date is MY birthday. It's the Ides of March, just in case you didn't know. =) I think a name that would go along with that theme would be super cool!

Also, my daughter's name is Azlynn. It's a variation of Aslan/Azlan. It means "lion" and is also a boy's name. But I like it! Her middle name is Claire (clear, bright, famous). I think her name is such a beautiful name so I wanted to share it with you.

Naming a baby is a beautiful, frustrating time. I hope all the best for you and your family, and your recent little blessing. I can't wait to hear your decision!!!

Hi RaechelCongrats on the girlie news! How exciting. I'm like you in wanting unique and old sounding. My girls are: Dory Zeller (or we call her Dory Z)Dory can be short for Dorothy but not for us. Her name means "Gift from God".

Neala RoseMy husband's grandfather was Neal so we added an a. And Rose is his other grandmother's name. Unique and porch-sitter sounding. I can invision little Neala Rose sitting with her great grand kids somewhere on a horse farm rocking away!

I love Ava and Avery. My daughter is Abby which means "Father's Joy". We chose it for it's meaning. Abigail/Abby is an "old" name!I think it would be neat to use Hope or Faith for a middle name. It kinda goes with Evie's Grace.

Didn't read your other comments, so these are not unlikely to be repeats:

1. Vera. Older name, though hardly "porch-sitter," contains a V (and a capital one, at that!) and means "Truth." Not too common. This was a runner-up for both of our girls (incidentally, so was Evie/Evelyn!).

2. Silvie. It could be short for Sylvia/Silvia, but it could also stand alone, I think. Another of our runners-up, though mostly only for Lucie. It's a bit less meaningful, perhaps--if I recall correctly, it means something like "out of the forest."

3. I think Violet is cute, and probably sort of similar to your other two's names with regard to popularity--not "popular," but not at all obscure, either.

4. Ava's too popular and is, in my opinion, too much like Evie--but it might just be me. To me, Eva, Eve, Ava, Evelyn, Evie...are all variations on the same name.

5. Ivy has a v. But that's about all it has.

6. Virgina has a V and is a porch-sitter name if I've ever heard one. I think it means, "The state just north of North Carolina."

7. Tova(h) is a Hebrew name that means "good." I'm not sure it fits, aesthetically, though.

8. Octavia might be a bit to similar to Oliver, but I think Tavia or Tava are both cute variations. Porch-sitter it is not, and it means something like "8th."

I had a college friend named Devin, if you are going for 'V'. It can be a bit gender neutral but fit her really well! I also like Hadley, Delaney, Amelia and Josephine (Josie) but I have no idea what they mean. Good luck!

Our girl name was Adelene (after my husband's grandmother). It's german for "noble one". We were planning on calling her Adah (as in David Copperfield) to distinguish her from her great-grandmother. Alas, we had a boy. : )

Others that I love:Selah- pause and reflect (wow, right?)Avi- Hebrew for "God is my Father"

I LOVE names! This is right up my alley. I have a favorite from the posts above but I won't say it. :)AubreyLydiaShaeHannah: "favour" or "grace"RebeccaIvaRuth: "friend"Helene or HelenaHazelGenevieveTrevaIvoryVeraOk, I'll stop. You are so cute - you make me want to be pregnant!

V names: (I've seen a couple on here already)Ava Grace Norah VaeAlivia Mae (like Olivia, but since you have an Oliver, this is with an A)Avery Jane (love this one, but it's a little "popular")Ivy Leigh

I have always loved the girl's name Olivia. But, if I had ever had a girl I wanted to name her Willow after the bible passage in Isaiah that talks about the fruitful waters that flow through the willow fields, or something like that. I thought it was beautiful.

My two favorite names are Annabelle grace and Emmaleigh rose. But since you asked for a name with a V, I think Evalynn fits all the criteria... although it's very close to Evie. Valerie is a pretty name. I've always liked Ava too.

it doesn't have a V in it but what about Elizabeth. Happens to be my name.... not has common and definitely old and beautiful!

As a Mom of 3 school aged kids (Maximillian David - 10, Grace Elizabeth - 7 and Sterling Jack - 3) I can tell you right now there are a LOT of Avas and Eva. I also have a stationery business and have done lots of announcement and stationery for those names in the past year....way common...

Evelyn Vivian - i love the nickname ViviOlivia - Libby is a great nickname

The girl names I like are:Savannah Leigh (plateau/meadow, I know it's ironic!)Rachel Ruth (little lamb/friend, Ruth is my grandma's name)Zoe Ruth (life/friend)Norah (honor, I don't have a middle name for this one yet)

'v' names- Avery, Ava, Victoria, Olivia (although that is similar to oliver!)names I just like:Lucy ( This is my #1 favorite baby name but my husband wasn't a fan so we went with Chloe Elisabeth for our daughter)CadenceRuby

My cousin named her daughters Pearl and Tabitha, those are definitely older names.

My little girl is Avery, and I love it!A friend named her daughter Oella, after a great-great grandmother, and I've really grown to like it!Let's see... My third suggestion is Eileen or Aileen (which is how I spell it). It's my middle name and I think it's sweet and grownup all at the same time!

I love baby girl names! I think girls names that have A's in them are super feminie and gorgeous. One of my favorite names right now is Amelia. I think it's so timeless and beautiful. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it's starting to get more popular.

Other names that I just looked up that have A's and V's in them are:

Alivia (which sounds like Olivia which is another one of my fav girls names) I think Alivia would sound really good with both Oliver and Evie.

I also LOVE the name Avery. Although, I think this one is starting to get popular, too.

Good luck picking a name!! I can't wait to hear what you guys decide on!!

My daughters name is Avery Elizabeth. But I also love the name Avalon. I saw that others had suggested Emmalene and Avalon, I thought of both of those names too! Can't wait to find out what you decide to name your precious daughter!

Well, like some others, I totally was gung-ho about suggesting "Olivia" and then laughed at myself when I realized the similarity! And then my next "v" name was Avery... but you have that suggestion too :)

I don't really have any name suggestions I guesss. Just make sure you say the entire name together to see how it sounds or if anyone can twist it around. My oldest sister was named after my grandmother whose name was Ida Mae. Our last name was Taylor. Therefore, during her school days she bacame Idaho Tater. needless to say, she HATED it!

Mavi or Livi...Which Olivia could be her "legal" name but I agree it could get confusing with Oliver. But you could call her Livi for short and it would start with a vowel like her big brother and big sister :) Plus have a "V" in it! I am just so happy for you all! Can't wait to see pictures of your belly as it grows and of course more pictures of Mr. O just being himself!

We are too trying to think of names right now. I don't like common either. Some names that I thought of that have a V would be : Savannah, Vivian, Evalyn, Mazie and Violet. I also along with many others love the name Olivia.

The names I am looking at are Blake, Brynn, Tenly, Aubry and not sure what other girl names!

My husband and I aren't blessed to have children yet, but we LOVE the name Aniston. I know it doesn't have a "v" and it's not exactly an old name, but it is very unique. Good luck picking your precious baby's name!

I don't usually comment--but I just HAD to when I saw your request. My two favorite girl names actually have V's in them!!!

Ivy (which was my grandmother's name. She was a strong, hard-working, God-loving, inspirational woman---who took on the task of raising my mother and 2 aunts when my grandfather was sent to war.) I am definitely planning on naming my daugther after her someday---but since you and i aren't bffs (haha..i know you don't even know who I am as I'm just a blog stalker)..I think I can share the name choice with you!! :)

The meaning behind the name Ivy is: tenacious, dainty, and irresistible!

My other favorite girl name is Avery--but I don't know what that name "means."

Good luck to you as you continue on in this pregnancy! I love following your story and I was soooo excited when I heard you were expecting!!!

I love the name Denver with Denny for short. If we have a little girl next I think that's what we will go with.Ivy is a friend's little girl.Violet is another favorite of mine.Have fun! Choosing the name was one of my very favorite parts of having my son!

Just so you know, I am writing down these names for personal use. We are due in June and I am convinced that we are having a girl. We have a few girls names selected, but are still looking. Here is one to ponder:Rose Evie Myers

Our daughter goes by "Evie" but her full name is Eibhlin--pronouced 'Eve-Lynn', the 'bh' makes the V sound. It's the Irish for Evelyn. It's not too popular in Ireland these days, it's one of the older names. It means wished-for or longed-for child.

Yay! umm lets see...My favorite girls name in the world is Ivy. And its a symbol of beauty and perseverance.I really like Ivy Dahlia(Dahlia means gentleness)Vivienne is beautiful - it means lively or full of lifeViolet or Violette is another favorite... I like Violet Bijou (Bijou is swahili for precious jem)Vera is also one of my favorites! I guess i really like v names tooVera means truth, but i like it pronounce ver as in pear, and not like vera wang. theres: Vienna, Virginia, Geneva, Silvia, Avery, Ava, Verity, Verona, Eveline,cant think of any more...Im so excited for her name! Good luck!love you!Lizzie

I love your style :) Very similar to our likes/dislikes. Our daughters names are Ava Elizabeth & Charlotte Ann. Ava is quite popular now, but we didn't know that 5 years ago when she was born ;) Other names we considered for our second daughter were Clara, Cora, Violet, Olivia, Scarlet, Mae, Maisie, Caroline...that's all I can remember. GOOD LUCK!!

In the interest of time today I didn't read the 100 other comments so please forgive me if there are any duplicates but here are my suggestions:

Avery (1st name) Claire (middle)Avery is a french name meaning wise. Claire is latin name meaning bright and clear. Avery is a somewhat popular name now so that is it's main drawback. I also don't like really popular names.

Ava is a beautiful name but it is the #9 most popular name this year.

Olivia is also beautiful but close to Oliver so that probably rules that one out for you.

Avalon has a "V" and is unique. This is one of me and hubby's current favorites.

Mercy is also a great girls name. Not too popular and has great meaning.

Ava.You could do Bathsheva and nickname her Beth.Bevin... which means fair lady.Davina... beloved.Devorah is kind of cool but it means bee.Evalyn. Gavriela means God is my might... but I don't know what you'd nickname her. You could always do Geneva.I like Gwenevere or Guinevere... it means white;fair.Haven is pretty... it means Haven; safe place.You could always do Ivy.Lavender is cool!Lovey... or Loveday... or Liv. Or Viviane. Maeve... though that's a little weird. You could call her Rachav... but it means broad or large.River is cool and it kind of goes with Oliver.Savanah.Silvia... it means wooded;forest.Vada is cool.Valerie which means to be healthy;strong. Not a bad meaning to have in life.Vicky... victory.Violet which means violet.Vira which means heroic.Yvette or Yvonne.

I tried to think of what all of you looked like and decided from there. Good luck!

On our list of baby names, we have a dozen for a boy, and one for a girl, AND it fits 3 of your categories. I am a big nick name person, so I'll start with that:Evie, pronounced eh-vee, from Evelyn, but we would spell it Evelynn because of a family trend towards double letters. It means "life" in Hebrew.

I'm putting in my thoughts:Vashti. She was the queen before Esther ...who died for standing up to her boorish husband! :) I'm not too sure what it means, but I like it!

However, looking for a name with more "meaning"...I'd definitely got with Tovah. After reading the other suggestions, I'd say that is my new favourite!

Ava, Avery, Olivia, and most of the other beautiful ones above are very common now. If/when I get prenant again and am blessed with another girl, I am naming her Eden Shaye Alyse. But I am seeing that it won't be uncommon either. Oh well. My oldest is Abi, but 8 years ago, I didn't realize it was getting popular again. At least she isn't in the same class as the other Abby in her grade! :)

Blessings to you and your family. May your pregnancy continue to go smoothly. Best of luck deciding on a name. I loved reading all the suggestions!